But most of these are just passing fads that only serve to sap
your time and drain your bank account.

We've put together a list of some of the worst health trends that
still persist today.

Coconut Water

Coconut water may be nature's version of Gatorade, but some
brands have already caught fire for over-hyping the nutrient
content.

Vita Coco agreed to settle a $10 million
class action lawsuit over an independent study that showed the
drinks didn't pack near as many electrolytes as advertisements
implied.

Plus, some coconut water products are also loaded with added
sugar. Instead, pick up your own young green coconuts on the
cheap from an Asian produce market. Just crack them open with a cleaver, and pop
in a straw.

All-Natural Foods

More Americans may be going au naturel, but
what are you really paying for?

There's no clear-cut regulation on what makes food "natural,"
which means just about any company can slap that label on its
packages, add a fancy "green" design, and jack up the price.

Says Andrew Schrage of MoneyCrashers: "Before buying any food that is
touted as being 'all natural,' take a look at the ingredient list
before you check out. Keep in mind that butter and salt are
indeed natural ingredients. So stocking up on natural foods may
not achieve anything other than increasing your grocery bill."
(Not to mention, your waistline.)

Weight-Loss Wardrobes

When it comes to ridiculous-looking toning shoes and clothing
designed to help shed pounds faster, you might want to hold
off.

Reebok's already paid $25 million to consumers for allegedly
over-marketing the weight loss power of
its toning shoes. And the one study that seems to support the
claim that tight-fitting threads help burn more calories only
involved about 15 participants.

"I think there are much simpler and less expensive ways the
average person can bump up calorie burn and build strength,"
says Shape.com's Liz Neporent. "For
instance, interval training and hill work. These
workouts certainly have the science behind them."

Hormone Injections

People really will do anything to shed pounds, even if it means
injecting themselves with hormones made from a woman's placenta.

The FDA ordered companies to stop selling HCG (a protein made in
the placenta and passed through pregnant women's urine) after it
was used in conjunction with low-calorie diet regimens.
A 40-day kit sells for $120, but the
hormone's only been approved for use in fertility treatments.

Per the MayoClinic: "HCG is not approved for
over-the-counter use, nor has it been proved to work for weight
loss. Companies that sell over-the-counter HCG weight-loss
products are breaking the law."

Detox Diets

Here's a trend that makes nutritionists' blood boil: the idea
that people can purge their bodies of toxins by consuming
different variations of liquid diets.

"What consumers need to know is that your body naturally
detoxifies itself through our lungs, skin, and kidneys," she
said. "Sweat it out, breathe it out, and eliminate. Eating a
clean diet daily will give you the feeling you are looking
forward to at the end of your depriving cleanse, so get started.
Besides, cleanses are unnatural and typically based on
eliminating food groups and/or foods
altogether."

Gluten-free Diets

Batayneh calls this one of the worst weight-loss myths out there and another
attempt to play on the low-carb fad sparked by the Atkin's
diet.

"A gluten-free diet does not necessarily mean a low-carb
diet," she says. "A person who eats gluten-free can ingest plenty
of carbohydrates from gluten-free breads, pastas, cereals, and
baked goods, as well as vegetables, fruits, beans, and legumes."

Gluten-free lifestyles have been proven to ease symptoms of
Autism in children and, obviously, are vital to anyone with a
gluten allergy. But "if you don’t have a medical reason for
following a gluten-free diet, there’s probably no
benefit,” says Tricia Thompson, R.D., founder
of glutenfreedietitian.com.

Snack Packs

Weight loss has much to do with portion control, but those
helpful little 100-calorie snack packs are
nothing but a big budget suck.

"We have portion distortion in this nation, and even though I
like that [100-calorie packs] are pre-portioned, that can be a
more expensive option," Batayneh says.

Instead, keep a measuring cup in your desk drawer to scoop out
perfect portions of whatever you're munching on at work (almonds,
trail mix, etc.) rather than paying more for packaging.

Acai Berries

"We've had waves of costly 'super juices' in the marketplace that
were nothing more than fruit juice," says clinical
nutritionist Stella Metsovas. "Testing chemical properties
in a laboratory is completely different once the product is
pasteurized. There is no possibility of processing a super-fruit
to compete with the natural form (i.e. a handful of
berries)."

The Acai berry's popularity in the U.S. spawned a new wave of consumer scams involving
"free trial offers" for smoothies, juices, and other products.